The Washington Post: Poroshenko wants direct U.S. military aid

(QHA) -

To protect its independence Ukraine should build up its armed forces and at this stage needs a direct military aid from the U.S. such as Lend-Lease Program during World War II, Ukraine's presidential runner Petro Poroshenko told The Washington Post in an interview, Ukrinform reports.

“Now we should create a new security treaty exactly like Lend-Lease. We should cooperate in military technical assistance and in advising assistance. We are ready to fight for independence, and we should build up the armed forces of Ukraine,” - Poroshenko said.

According to the leader of the Ukrainian presidential race, more aggression against Ukraine is possible, “and when aggression starts, no sanctions help.”

Also, the newspaper added, Poroshenko has made it clear he is ready to negotiate with Russia. “I know Putin quite well,” he said, adding that he is ready to compromise over everything but Ukraine's claim to Crimea and its decision to pursue economic association with the European Union.

Note: The Lend-Lease policy was a program under which the United States supplied Great Britain, the USSR, Free France, the Republic of China, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and August 1945.

A total of $50.1 billion (equivalent to $656 billion today) worth of supplies were shipped. Reverse Lend-Lease policies comprised services such as rent on air bases that went to the U.S., and totaled $7.8 billion; of this, $6.8 billion came from the British and the Commonwealth.